Why do you really want to deploy?

June 30th, 2012, 05:57 AM

I see these numerous questions on the forum; many from young people who want to serve in Afghanistan or any other location. So I am curious. What is the real reason you want/wanted to do a long deployment (combat or humanitarian) while serving in the Guard. Especially if you situation is past tense; then please express.

I say that because so many I know are war-wearied and tired of these repeated deployments. Everybody in my section now has three. The first is always exciting and then after two; the feelings are no longer the same. Maybe it is due to the location and reason.

I see these numerous questions on the forum; many from young people who want to serve in Afghanistan or any other location. So I am curious. What is the real reason you want/wanted to do a long deployment (combat or humanitarian) while serving in the Guard. Especially if you situation is past tense; then please express.

I say that because so many I know are war-wearied and tired of these repeated deployments. Everybody in my section now has three. The first is always exciting and then after two; the feelings are no longer the same. Maybe it is due to the location and reason.

Well, truth be told, there are many unemployed officers and enlisted. I know for a fact that some of them want to deploy just to have a job.

Comment

Well, truth be told, there are many unemployed officers and enlisted. I know for a fact that some of them want to deploy just to have a job.

1. I think this is generally true.

2. I was at a suicide debriefing the other day of a unit that just had returned home. I found it incredibly difficult to truly relate to their experiences, though it may not be so much me but them. They may find it difficult to relate their problems and issues to someone who has never experienced the same as they have.

3. For professional development. If you are trying to make the military a career then having the experience of deployment is vital, if not for anything less than credit among peers.

Deployment is very difficult, I've spoken with uncounted numbers of soldiers that have come home to an empty house and bank account. I've also observed many suicide debriefings for combat vets. I guess a lot depends on your experiences downrange and what is happening at home while you are there. Personally if given the opportunity I would leave tomorrow to deploy, but seeing how that is not a possibility I will surrender that desire on the altar to the Divine.

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Thats a real sad sign of the times we are living in. I honestly hope they are not unemployed because they are in the National Guard.

They are largely unemployed for reasons other than being a member of the Guard. For most employers, if you truly have in-demand or irreplaceable skills, one weekend a month is not going to be a deal breaker.

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They are largely unemployed for reasons other than being a member of the Guard. For most employers, if you truly have in-demand or irreplaceable skills, one weekend a month is not going to be a deal breaker.

You should have seen my boss's face this week when I told him the dates for AT.

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I've said it before. Initially I joined and wanted to deploy based on the fact so many had sacrificed , and I had not yet done squat! I still remember reading the news story and a Taliban leader warning Americans not to come to 'Ghan, that the dogs of war had tasted American blood and they liked it. That may have worked in scaring others, but it set my blood boiling. I joined to fight, to serve and to do my part, plain and simple.
Now, that being said the toll it took on my family, my kids, my wife...we realized it was a sacrifice we all make.

Would I do it again, Yes. Do I have the same drive, fire determination as I did when I was a "young " paratrooper ready to jump out that door stare death in the face and **** any commie lovin , jihad livin sob that dared to look sideways at my flag , my brothers , or our way of life....?? No, LOL, not the same determination , but determination and motivation all the same.

" Here I am, Send me"

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I've said it before. Initially I joined and wanted to deploy based on the fact so many had sacrificed , and I had not yet done squat! I still remember reading the news story and a Taliban leader warning Americans not to come to 'Ghan, that the dogs of war had tasted American blood and they liked it. That may have worked in scaring others, but it set my blood boiling. I joined to fight, to serve and to do my part, plain and simple.
Now, that being said the toll it took on my family, my kids, my wife...we realized it was a sacrifice we all make.

Would I do it again, Yes. Do I have the same drive, fire determination as I did when I was a "young " paratrooper ready to jump out that door stare death in the face and **** any commie lovin , jihad livin sob that dared to look sideways at my flag , my brothers , or our way of life....?? No, LOL, not the same determination , but determination and motivation all the same.

" Here I am, Send me"

Now you have zeal and knowledge, which are a powerful combination. I hope you find what you are looking for.

It was General Marshall who said, "The Soldier’s heart, the Soldier’s spirit, the Soldier’s soul are everything. Unless the Soldier’s soul sustains him he cannot be relied upon and will fail himself, and his commander, and his country in the end.”

I've said it before. Initially I joined and wanted to deploy based on the fact so many had sacrificed , and I had not yet done squat! I still remember reading the news story and a Taliban leader warning Americans not to come to 'Ghan, that the dogs of war had tasted American blood and they liked it. That may have worked in scaring others, but it set my blood boiling. I joined to fight, to serve and to do my part, plain and simple.
Now, that being said the toll it took on my family, my kids, my wife...we realized it was a sacrifice we all make.

Would I do it again, Yes. Do I have the same drive, fire determination as I did when I was a "young " paratrooper ready to jump out that door stare death in the face and **** any commie lovin , jihad livin sob that dared to look sideways at my flag , my brothers , or our way of life....?? No, LOL, not the same determination , but determination and motivation all the same.

" Here I am, Send me"

You are active duty as I. I was posing the question to Guard members whose units are not deploying but are seeking ways to get a deployment. I am Afghanistan my second time around and many people who are on their second or third tour; their opinion has greatly changed since their first deployment.

When I left the Guard in 2003 and came to AD and deployed; I had the same ideas of getting some. Now, the financial incentive is no longer important or for career progression. We simply do because we are ordered to and its now about rolling the dice on assignments.

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You should have seen my boss's face this week when I told him the dates for AT.

I second this. Regardless of skills, when you need to request off multiple Friday's for MUTA-6s, a 3-week XCTC, and a week-long phase one ALC all in ONE calendar year, the employer tends to get a bit frustrated, and rightly so.

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I think a lot of my friends in my unit, who extended overseas, or who are still looking to deploy, do it because of the "identity crisis" that comes with coming back home and being a civilian again. It took a toll on a lot of the guys at our unit, trying to figure out who "Mr. Smith" and "SGT Smith" were, which parts overlapped and worked, and which ones needed to be kept separate.

I think the guys who haven't quite pieced it all together feel the urge to head back overseas and exist as one identity for a while.